1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to tracking the motion of a moving object. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a system and method of tracking a moving object and externally marking the object in real time.
2. Introduction
To strike or focus on a moving object, many aspects regarding the object and its movement need to be assimilated and come together at the moment of impact. Depending on the application, the aspects involved may include the status of the object, the status of the striker or viewer (collectively, referred to as a striker herein), and external forces such as gravity, humidity, temperature, wind resistance and the like. The status of the object may include parameters such as the spin of the object, its weight, composition, and how the object was projected or released. The status of the striker may include whether the striker is a human or a machine, placement of the striker in relation to the moving object, whether another object is being used to strike the incoming object, and the mechanics of striking the object.
One set of activities that involve striking moving objects is in the area of sports. Sports such as baseball, softball, soccer, football, tennis and other racquet sports, hockey (ice or field) all involve a human player striking a projectile, e.g., a player swinging a bat at a baseball. Success in these sports is predicated upon the skill of the player to determine the movement path of the projectile given a combination of variables and then the ability to strike the projectile either with a hand, racquet, bat, foot, or some other instrument. Everyone from youth to adults, amateurs to professionals, and players and referees/umpires dedicate an enormous amount of practice to break down, learn, and practice the proper mechanics needed to become successful at their particular activity.
Depending on the application, some mechanics are more important or contribute to a player's success than others. For example, in the sport of baseball some of the aspects continually studied and practiced include foot placement (stance) of the batter at the plate, weight and balance application of the feet, hand placement (grip) of the bat, bat placement (hands high or low, maybe moving), swing mechanics of the hands, arms, hips and feet. However, the skill of watching the ball leave the pitcher's hand (or a pitching machine) and the skill involved in predetermining whether to attempt to hit the incoming ball (i.e., its hit-ability) in a fraction of a second is considered one of the most, if not the most, paramount skill of all. Without this skill of predicting the ball's flight path, all of the other mechanics that follow in the hitting the ball are limited in their impact.
Through the years, learning to strike objects has been practiced through “after the fact” instruction. After the fact instruction involves a player practicing the activity, such as kicking a ball, multiple times in front of a parent, coach, or camera, then receiving feedback on the performance after the activity. Instructions were given based on listening to a critique from the coach possibly in conjunction with viewing a video of the player's practice. Through the use of video, a coach or teacher, or any viewer for entertainment or recreational purposes can study a person's mechanics. Typically, a coach and/or player would identify weaknesses in one's mechanics as seen on the video and then receive instruction as to how to better one's performance. After the instructional session, a player would then repeat practice of the activity. To improve, a player needs to remember the instructions given in the after the fact instruction period. This type of after the fact instruction is limited to utilizing information only about the status of the striker, e.g., how a player was holding a bat or how close a player's foot was to the ball before kicking. Nothing regarding the incoming object is recorded other than possibly seeing the object on the video.
To compensate for this limitation of information, some systems attempt to supplement the learning process by providing information about the moving object after the activity. For example, a well known but simplified measurement is measuring the speed of a baseball pitch as determined by a radar apparatus. This information is collected and provided along with the after the fact instruction session. In the sport of baseball, such systems have evolved to be able to reveal almost everything about a particular pitch, such as its speed, movement, rotation, and where the ball crosses the plate. Many of these systems have been used to show a viewer the characteristics of the pitch to enhance the entertainment value of watching the game. Additionally, these systems have provided an opportunity for grading an umpire's ability to accurately call a pitch. However, these systems still provide after the fact analysis of a particular pitch. Even though more information is provided to a player regarding performance, the player must still stop the practice activity, assimilate the after the fact information and instruction, then restart the practice activity.
As stated above, one of the most important skills in striking an object is the striker's ability to recognize and then predict the path of the incoming object. The systems above rely on viewing the activity after it has happened. None of these systems enable one to practice predictive visual identification of the incoming object as it is happening. In the context of baseball, these systems do not aid a batter while standing in the box to identify the pitch before hitting the ball. What is needed is a system and method that predictively determines the path of an incoming object as the object approaches and signals to the striker or the viewer various information about the incoming object (in real time) to improve performance.